— FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Everything worth asking before you begin.
Clear answers to the questions most clients ask, about the method, the sessions, the studio, and whether this approach is likely to help with what you are working on.
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About the work.
What is The Movement Bank™ and what do you actually do?
The Movement Bank™ is a private movement coaching practice in Liverpool Street, London. Elizabeth Banks works one to one with clients on pain, injury rehabilitation, movement capacity, and athletic performance.
The approach is neurology-first, drawn from twenty years of specialist training including P-DTR, Z-Health, Gray Institute, and Applied Movement Neurology. Sessions happen in a private studio, by appointment only, with the same coach every time.
How is this different from seeing a physiotherapist?
Physiotherapy is highly effective for acute tissue injuries and is rightly the first-line treatment for most musculoskeletal problems. Many Movement Bank™ clients have worked with excellent physiotherapists.
The Movement Bank™ works alongside or after physiotherapy, depending on the client’s situation. Some clients are working with a physiotherapist at the same time as seeing Elizabeth. Others come having completed a course of physiotherapy. The focus is different, not the timing: the work sits at the level of the nervous system rather than the tissue.
Is Elizabeth a physiotherapist?
No. Elizabeth is a movement coach with twenty years of specialist training. Her formal qualifications include a BSc in Sport and Exercise Science from St Mary's University, London, plus advanced certifications in P-DTR, Z-Health, the Gray Institute's GIFT and PCM mentorships, AMN, Weck Method, Foot Mobilisation Techniques, Anatomy in Motion, and Enneagram coaching.
Her work is complementary to physiotherapy, not a replacement for it. Many clients arrive via referral from physiotherapists, osteopaths, and sports medicine doctors.
Who is this for?
The practice works best for people in three situations:
Clients with pain that has persisted, the back pain that won't fully resolve, the shoulder that keeps flaring, the headaches that have become a feature of life.
Clients rebuilding after injury, surgery, or a long period of avoidance, who want to return to activity with confidence and not just tolerance.
Active clients and athletes wanting to move better, perform better, or protect long-term capacity into their fifties, sixties, and beyond.
What conditions do you work with?
I work with a wide range of conditions including back and neck pain, knee and foot pain, shoulder and upper limb pain, balance and dizziness issues, headaches, and post-concussion syndrome. Clients often come after physiotherapy, osteopathy, chiropractic, or podiatry, looking to return to their activities without fear of re-injury. If you’re not sure whether your situation fits, get in touch and I’ll tell you honestly.
Who is this not for?
This is not the right fit if you are looking for:
A gym-style workout led by someone counting reps. A sports massage or deep-tissue bodywork. A group class or small-group personal training. Someone who will do the work for you.
This is not medical care. If you need diagnosis, imaging, or surgical intervention, those services sit elsewhere. Elizabeth will often refer to trusted colleagues when that is the right route.
The method.
What is P-DTR and why does it matter?
P-DTR stands for Proprioceptive Deep Tendon Reflex. It is a neurological therapy developed by Dr Jose Palomar, a neurologist and researcher, that uses manual muscle testing to assess how the nervous system is processing sensory information.
When the body’s sensory receptors send faulty or exaggerated signals to the brain, pain and dysfunction follow. P-DTR identifies and resets these signals, often producing change without touching the site of pain itself. Elizabeth holds advanced-level certification in P-DTR, the highest level of training available, and is one of a small number of practitioners in the UK to have achieved it.
Do you work with chronic pain?
Yes, and it is one of the most common reasons people come in. Chronic pain, pain that has persisted beyond the three-month mark and beyond the normal healing time of the tissue, is increasingly understood by the pain science community as a nervous system phenomenon rather than a tissue damage phenomenon.
The neurology-first approach is specifically suited to this category of work. Results vary by client and by cause, but many chronic pain clients experience meaningful change. The work of Butler and Moseley has brought pain neuroscience into clinical practice, and the studio applies those insights daily.
Do you work with athletes or performance clients?
Yes. A portion of the practice is athletes and active clients looking to improve performance, resilience, and movement capacity. The same assessment framework applies.
For athletes, the work often identifies why a specific movement pattern is being compensated or protected, then removes that block so power and coordination can be trained on stable foundations.
How long before I see results?
Many clients feel changes within the first session. More important is that the changes hold.
The nervous system learns through consistent inputs, so lasting results emerge over a programme of sessions, the length of which depends on the nature and history of the issue. Elizabeth will give you an honest estimate at the end of the first session, and will tell you if this is not the right approach for your issue.
What are your qualifications?
Elizabeth holds a BSc in Sport and Exercise Science from St Mary’s University, London, plus advanced certifications including:
P-DTR: Advanced level, the highest level of training available, and one of a small number of practitioners in the UK to have achieved it
Z-Health: R, I, S and T phase, plus 9S certifications in Movement Neurology
Gray Institute: GIFT and PCM mentorships (USA), CAFS, 3DMAPS, NG360
Applied Movement Neurology (AMN): with Dave Fleming and Luke Sherrell
RHM (Recursive Human Mechanics): first cohort, trained by David Fleming. A structural framework underpinned by Recursive Field Theory, working with chronic symptoms as coherent adaptations rather than random malfunctions
Weck Method and RopeFlow: direct with David Weck
Foot Mobilisation Techniques: all levels with Ted Jedynak
Anatomy in Motion: with Gary Ward
Certified Enneagram practitioner
She has also delivered educational programmes internationally for TRX, Nike, AMN, and Procedos.
Sessions & the studio.
What does the first session involve?
The first session is primarily an assessment. Elizabeth takes a detailed history, then conducts a full neurological screen, examining vision, vestibular function, proprioception, and movement in three planes.
For clients with a long or complex history, much of this session may be taken up with understanding the full picture. That is time well spent. The aim of the first session is not to resolve everything but to establish clearly what is going on and what the work ahead looks like.
Where time allows, an initial intervention and a short home practice may follow. Most clients go on to a programme of sessions. Six is a typical starting point, though the length always depends on the nature of the work. Elizabeth will give you an honest estimate at the end of your first session.
How long is a session and how often do I come in?
Initial consultations are 90 minutes. Follow-up sessions are 55 minutes. In complex cases, or when you are travelling a long distance and cannot attend often, extended follow-ups of 90 minutes are available.
Will I feel sore or tired after a session?
It varies by the nature of the session. Training-focused work can produce normal post-exercise soreness that resolves within a couple of days. Coaching-focused sessions can occasionally produce temporary fatigue or brief symptom flare-ups as the nervous system processes new inputs. This is part of adaptation, not damage. Both usually settle quickly with hydration, rest, and normal sleep.
Where is the studio and how do I get there?
The studio is in Longcroft House, 2 to 8 Victoria Avenue, London EC2M 4NS. It is a three-minute walk from Liverpool Street station, which serves the Overground, Elizabeth line, Central line, Circle line, Hammersmith and City line, and Metropolitan line.
The studio is private and by appointment only. On arrival, clients check in at the building reception and Elizabeth comes to meet you there.
What should I wear?
Comfortable clothes you can move in. Gym wear, yoga wear, or anything you would wear to a training session is ideal. Being barefoot is helpful for foot-related assessment. There are facilities if you are coming directly from work.
What happens between sessions?
You leave the first session with a clear picture of what we found and a short daily home practice designed around the specific inputs your nervous system needs. It is calibrated to the time you have, not generic.
Message support is available between sessions, and progress is reviewed regularly, set to the rhythm of your work.
The home practice is what makes the change stick. Movement coaching is not a passive treatment, it is a collaboration. Clients who engage consistently with the home practice tend to see results faster and find they hold better. Elizabeth will be honest about this from your first session.
Do you offer online sessions?
Certain aspects of the work translate well online, particularly follow-up coaching, home practice review, and check-ins for existing clients.
New client assessments are generally done in person because much of the neurological testing requires hands-on work. If you are based outside London and interested in the approach, get in touch and we can discuss what is and is not possible remotely.
Getting started.
Is this covered by private health insurance?
I operate independently and do not work with insurance providers. Clients are self-funded. Sessions are paid as a package, upfront. Payment is by cash, card, or bank transfer.
Can my GP, consultant, physiotherapist, or other practitioner refer me?
Yes. Much of the practice arrives via referral from physiotherapists, osteopaths, GPs, sports medicine consultants, orthopaedic surgeons, and chiropractors.
Elizabeth works collaboratively with referring clinicians and is happy to communicate with them directly when useful. Referral notes, imaging, or assessment letters from another practitioner are welcome before the first session. Please bring or email them ahead.
What if this doesn’t work for me?
Elizabeth is direct about this. If after the first session it is clear that your issue would be better served by a different practitioner, a specific surgeon, a pain medicine consultant, a specialist physiotherapist, she will tell you and usually recommend someone.
The aim is to get you to the best outcome, not to keep you in the studio. Good referrals in both directions are part of the job.
How do I get started?
Send a short enquiry through the contact form. Tell her what you are working on, the more specific the better. She responds personally to every enquiry and will come back with honest thoughts on whether this is the right fit before anything is booked.
— STILL HAVE QUESTIONS
Ask directly.
If what you are working on is not covered here, send a short enquiry and Elizabeth will respond personally.